California Man Sentenced to 120 Months in $46.4 Million Public Benefits Fraud and Laundering Case
On May 14, 2026, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, in Harrisburg, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, announced that Brian R. Cleland, 72, of Los Angeles, California, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Jennifer P. Wilson to 120 months in prison for his role in fraudulently obtaining about $46.4 million in public benefits and laundering the proceeds. He was also ordered to forfeit about $46.4 million.
Prosecutors said Cleland pleaded guilty on November 17, 2025, and admitted that he conspired with Bruce Jin, 61, and Carlos A. Grijalva, 60, both of Los Angeles, and others, using purported mask and personal protective equipment businesses as a front to obtain state unemployment compensation and Economic Impact Payments by fraud. Members of the conspiracy, including some believed to be in China, used identity theft victims' personal information to open thousands of bank accounts across the United States and generate fraudulent unemployment claims, which drew millions of dollars from Pennsylvania, Virginia, Florida and other states.
The funds were then moved by ACH transfers into companies controlled by Cleland, Jin and Grijalva; companies controlled by Jin alone received more than $12 million. Cleland and Grijalva transferred more than $30 million to Jin's companies, and Jin then wired more than $35 million to a bank account of a company in China and more than $2 million directly to the individual in China who controlled that company. Jin was sentenced on April 30 to 144 months in prison and ordered to forfeit more than $59 million; Grijalva has pleaded guilty and was scheduled to be sentenced on May 19. The FBI and the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Inspector General investigated the case.
Related: Justice Department Creates National Fraud Enforcement Division to Fight Fraud Against Taxpayer Funds
Source: U.S. Department of Justice
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：位于哈里斯堡的宾夕法尼亚州议会大厦（资料照片），判刑在哈里斯堡宣布。w_lemay 摄，CC BY-SA 2.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: The Pennsylvania State Capitol in Harrisburg (file photo); the sentence was announced in Harrisburg. Photo by w_lemay, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
